Chapter 5 COLONIAL SOCIETY ON THE EVE OF REVOLUTION

Ch 5: Colonial Society on the Eve of Revolution (notes to p ISN) 1. Common features of the colonies (slides 1-3) 2. Structures of colonial society (slides 4-5) 3. Workaday America (slides 6-10) 4. Dominant denominations (slides 11-17) 5. Pioneer presses (slide 18)

1. Common Features Of Colonies  Populations were growing dramatically.  Between 1700 and 1775 colonies doubled their population every 25 years.  90% of population lived in rural areas.

Colonial America was a melting pot by Germans (6%) (150,000) Scots-Irish (7%) Other Europeans (5%) Africans (20%) 2. Common Features Of Colonies

3. Common Features Of Colonies

4. Structure Of Colonial Society Compared to Europe, America was a land of equality and opportunity — except for slavery. Classes mostly based on land ownership, or not. Most remarkable feature was the ease with which could go from rags to riches on the social scale. Just like now!

Slide 5

6. Workaday America Colonist standard of living compared to rest of world. Major Industry in New England?  Fishing/whaling  Trade  Quintessential Yankee Trader

7. Workaday America Agriculture was the leading industry — 90% of the people involved!  Tobacco = Staple crop in Maryland and Virginia  Grain = primary crop in the Middle colonies.

8. Map 5.3: Colonial Trade Patterns, c. 1770

9. Economic Problems in the 1730s What economic problems faced US in 1730s?  England saturated with American products.  Americans need cash and the only way to get cash is through sale of American goods.  Thus, Americans want to tap other markets to sell their goods.  Are shipping a lot of timber and food to the French West Indies, which is providing cash for Americans to buy from England.  But………

10. Britain attempts to enforce colonial compliance with the Molasses Act of 1733 and the Navigation Acts Molasses Act taxed West Indies molasses (rum comes from molasses!) Navigation Acts restricted the use of foreign ships for trade between Britain and the colonies. Leads to rampant smuggling

11. Dominant Denominations Two established (tax supported) churches were dominant in the colonies—  Anglican (Church of England)  Congregational (Puritan)  Many colonists did not attend church.

12. Anglican Church Official church in Ga., North and South Carolina, Va. and Maryland. Strongest in the south Why did Britain want to increase its power? Not very fervent. Clergy was poorly trained. Anglicans lacked a bishop in America, thus all ministers had to train in England.

13. Congregational Church Congregational church formally established in all NE colonies except RI. Was a hotbed for rebellion, and as rebellion neared ministers often preached sedition from the pulpit.

14. The Great Awakening Causes:  People less fervent.  Puritan churches struggling!  “Dead dog” ministers.  Ministers worried that the people had grown soft.  Liberal (Enlightenment) ideas began to challenge old time religion.

15. The Great Awakening A religious revival in ’s Spread like wildfire. Was a reaction against the rationalism and enlightenment of the period that put reason above God. Reaction against complacency of religion. First North American Mass Movement

16. Jonathan Edwards Jonathan Edwards  Started Great Awakening.  Deep thinker; burned with righteousness  Famous sermon: Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. George Whitefield  More eloquent.  Tried to lead people back to God through the passion of his rhetoric.  Popular for revival meetings

17. Results of the Great Awakening People split off to new churches Undermined older clergy New denominations Increased missionary work Founding of new colleges Broke down sectional boundaries and contributed to sense of Americans as one people.

18. Pioneer Presses Most people could not buy books. Only a few libraries based. Colonial newspapers. Newspapers typically contained dull essays and commentaries. Zenger Case